Red carpet for the pigs at the trough

It's not bad enough that they gave a no-bid contract to Halliburton for Katrina rebuilding, it's not bad enough that they're using Katrina (and now Rita) as an excuse to give immunity from lawsuits to construction companies, nursing homes, airlines, and hospitals, it's not bad enough that they had the gall to hire Mike Brown back as a private consultant (to tell FEMA how it screwed up no less!), it's not bad enough they're using this as an excuse to go after Medicaid and PBS ... now they're actually holding a seminar in a Senate Office Building, hosted by a US Senator, to advise private contractors how to get their spot at the trough, complete with coffee and donuts.

Deep Pockets, Small Government and the Man in the Middle

By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, September 27, 2005; Page A04

As fiscal hawks surrendered, would-be government contractors were meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building to figure out how to get a share of the money. A "Katrina Reconstruction Summit," hosted by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and sponsored by Halliburton, among others, brought some 200 lobbyists, corporate representatives and government staffers to a room overlooking the Capitol for a five-hour conference that included time for a "networking break" and advice on "opportunities for private sector involvement."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sent his budget director, Bill Hoagland, who cautioned that federal Katrina spending might not exceed $100 billion. But John Clerici, from a law firm that helped sponsor the event, told the group that spending would "probably be larger" than $200 billion. "It's going to be spent in a fast and furious way," Clerici said.

Sipping coffee from china cups and munching on doughnuts, the corporate crowd heard Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, predict: "I think we'll see Mardi Gras in New Orleans to some extent this year."